The Spider
by Cyberdrew
Summary: Peter Parker, in a realm of magic and convoluted plot points, is chosen to wield a weirdly shaped weapon and fight the Heartless. Can he protect his home in Nova York and his friends, or will everything fall to Darkness?


_ **A world where Spider-Man and other Marvel characters are thrown at Kingdom Hearts logic until it sticks. This version is next to unrecognizable to the Marvel universe you know, and has references for days for fellow nerds. **_

_**Enjoy.**_

* * *

"Here we are."

"Yup."

"Mystery Manor, or whatever its called."

"Sanctum Sanctorum," Peter corrected.

"Right…" Harry sighed. "Ready to go in?"

"Nope," Peter shook his head. "But let's do it anyway."

"That's the spirit," Harry grunted as they climbed the stairs.

This test was everything to them. It was everything to everybody. The entire city of Nova York is waiting on the news received from the Sanctum.

Magic is a part of everyday life, in Nova York. It was small, but light. You had your white mages and black mages, doing what people do in life as you would expect. Magic was treated as just another science.

But these were dire times. A darkness plagues Nova York; in the form of these little creatures that crop up from the shadows.

The Heartless.

Nobody knew how they came to be, but everyone knew that they spawn from the dark desires of people's hearts. Fall too deep… and you become one yourself.

It's got the whole city terrified.

Which is where Doctor Strange and his Defenders come in.

The Defenders are a group of warriors and spellcasters, the best of the best. Recently, the good Doctor had sent them away on a secret, long-term mission. Today was the day he promised tryouts to join the team.

Peter was determined to be that new addition. As was Harry.

"You going to use that weird trick of yours, Pete?" Harry asked him.

They passed by the foyer and lobby, following Wong as they ventured deeper into the mansion.

"It's not a trick, Harry," he argued. "It's magic, and it's going to work."

"Pete," Harry sighed, "You're my best bud, and you're the smartest guy in the room (er, no offense, Mr. Wong), but self-made magic has never really…"

"This is different," Peter insisted.

The party paused outside a particularly large and ominous door. Wong turned to them and spoke clearly.

"The test begins the moment you step through that door," he stated. "Tread carefully."

He opened the door behind him, and with a last glance at each other, the two boys ducked in and hurried to their seats.

The classroom was a lecture hall, with an empty desk at center stage, and the other desks circling it in a rising structure. Other kids like Peter were already here, almost all of them older. Peter scanned the room before looking down at the pencil and paper. His heart sank as he realized who the people around him were. Eugene (aka "Flash") Thompson wasn't a brainiac, but he was a brute. Liz Allen didn't have any right to be here other than the popularity points it would garter her. There was also Sajani Jaffrey, Robert Farrell, Anna-Maria Marconi, Yuriko Watanabe, and a lot of other kids Peter didn't know.

This was so much bigger than just "joining a club." The city would actually be at the mercy of the person chosen today. It can't be just anybody.

So why is he here… taking a written test?

He got up from his seat and walked to the front of the class. Some eyes flicked up towards him, but no one said anything. Harry moved to say something but thought better of it; instead went to trying to answer the questions and watch him at the same time.

Peter looked at the empty chalkboard, and looked behind the desk. This whole room is designed to look like a college classroom. That's something that would intimidate the average fourteen year old. Wong said the test started the second he stepped inside the room. What if the test isn't the paper test, it's the room itself?!

Peter looked around, scanning the wall and floors for clues. Some have looked up and stared at him, waiting for him to make a fool of himself. He was well known for that.

Peter felt the wall and board with the tips of his fingers, but nothing felt off about it. Then he drifted his senses over the frames, where the two separate chalkboards met. There's a breeze here…

He dug his fingers into the crack, finding a give in the wall, and slid the doors open like the wall was meant to do that. Behind the wall was a staircase spiraling down. With a confident look back at his classmates, he stepped down to the dark cellar…

* * *

"Daring lad, that one," one of the observers noted with admiration. "Brilliant, too."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed. "he's the first to question his surroundings, and brave enough to push forward with it. Now comes the test of skill, and instinct."

"You sure you're alright with the idea though?" the Captain questioned. "I mean, workplace experience is one thing, but this…"

"He needs to know what he's getting himself into," he dismissed. "Better now than when we're watching than later when he's alone."

The other didn't answer. He just turned back to the scrying pool and looked on.

* * *

Peter gulped as he hit the last stair. It was like he was standing on the colored glass window of a cathedral.

Three pedestals were placed in equal distance around the circular platform. Peter looked around and looked back the way he came, but the stairs had apparently disappeared behind him.

"Great." He flopped his arms.

He turned to the three choices. What is his weapon…? The sword shows power. The shield shows companionship. The wand represents wisdom.

He walked up to one of them, picking it up by the handle. Now, to sacrifice one of the others…

Ultimately, he chose the wand, and relinquished the sword. Whatever the challenge, he can _think_ his way out.

As soon as the choice was made, the stone pedestals sank away into the ground before fading completely. A chill ran up his spine as he turned to the room. Black spots; shadows, free from their owners, crawled against the glass floor like reflections. They stopped and picked themselves up, turning into black bodied imps with twitchy antennae, and beady, yellow eyes.

"You know," Peter sighed, bracing the wand in front of him. "You guys would be cuter if you didn't… you know… swarm and attack people so often. We could keep you like pets."

The heartless closed in on him, slowly and methodically. They were empty, and unfeeling. The only thing driving him was a gluttonous need to consume the beings of those who survive.

"I'll name you, Johnny," Peter continued, "And you, Ben. You can be Susan. And as for you… I'm thinking you're a Reed, maybe?"

He talked when he was nervous. His brain went into overdrive. Calculations flew through his mind. There were six, maybe seven targets. He needed to strike… now!

He swung the wand one way, then the other. The heartless jumped back and scattered, but still circled him like jackals. He needed to deal with them, and quickly. He tried to summon his magic, the spell he designed for situations just like this. This was the time!

He held out his hand, trying to form the magic in his palm. He hadn't gotten this part down to an exact science. Like a passcode, he needed something in particular: a certain gesture that would activate the spell he prepared.

While he was concentrating, one of the heartless crouched down, and pounced at him. With a shout, Peter held up his free hand in a desperate defense. The spell activated, and a bolt of silk fired, nailing the attacking monster in the air and flinging him back to be stuck to the floor.

It was hard to decide who was more surprised, Peter or the heartless.

With a serious confidence boost, and the biggest grin Peter wore in his whole life, he charged forward. No amount of darkness could stop him. Not today. Not right now.

* * *

"Peter Parker."

The boy's back and shoulders straightened. The Doctor had appeared before him, without any warning. His eyes were stern, and examanined him with crucial certainty. Suddenly, he smiled.

"Congratulations," he said, "You passed."

Peter audibly let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. This office was unbearably stuffy.

"You are now the newest wielder of the Keyblade," Strange told him, "The most powerful weapon we have against the heartless."

Peter furrowed his brow. "If it's the best weapon… why don't you use it? Or the other Defenders?"

"I'm afraid we only have the one, at the moment," the Sorcerer Supreme answered. "And it's fickle about who fights using it. Fortunately, the test you just took determined that you are a worthy successor."

He coughed into his glove. "(At least for the moment.)"

He moved on before Peter could press him further.

"Anyways!" he continued. "Hold out your hand."

Peter obeyed. And Doctor Strange cast his spell.

"Mists of the Myecrion!"

Peter blinked, and suddenly everything was different. His regular clothes had changed. Now he was wearing a blue t-shirt, with a red short-sleeved jacket that had a hood and black trim. Thanks to a mirror in the room, he saw that he had a large emblem of a white spider on his back. His pants had changed too, now being comfy shorts with the inside of the legs being blue, while the sides were slapped red. His shoes and arms braces were the only ones who differed from this color combination: being black with red trims. On top of that, the red on his new outfit had a spiderweb design laid over it.

It took Peter a second to even notice the weapon in his hand. He'd seen a keyblade before, there were pictures, and everybody Peter knew had dreamed up their own personal variation of the weapon, but now it was here. It was in his hands.

The red and blue cross guard circled around the grip, replacing the pommel with a crystalline web design. The shaft ran dark blue all the way to its tip. The ward- the axe like structure at the end of the shaft- was shaped like a red spider emblem facing upward. The legs sticking out looked awfully sharp.

"Whoa…" Peter marveled at it all. "…Was the wardrobe change necessary?"

"In fact, it was," Dr. Strange nodded. "You see, Mr. Parker, my Defenders are fighting for their lives as we speak. Wong and I must leave to help them, and I don't know when we will return. My two allies will stay behind to assist you. Nova York is a big place, Peter. A bright city with dark shadows. I fear it will not be here when I return. Defend my home, Peter, and it will defend you as well."

"I will," Peter promised. He was confident in his abilities. How hard could it be?

"Farewell, Peter Parker," Dr. Strange opened a portal in the wall. "May your heart be your guiding key."

"Uh…Okay."

With that, the wizard disappeared into his portal to another world. Peter turned to see his two new mentors. A woman dressed in red, and a man in a colorful suit of armor holding a sword.

"Right." Peter examined his weapon. "So… Where do we start?"

* * *

"The champion has been chosen."

The other hooded figures leaned over crystal ball. The images played in real time, as if they were in the very room they were seeing.

"Is that him? He doesn't look so tough."

"It doesn't matter how "tough" he is." One of the larger figures crossed his arms. "It only matters if he can fulfill out requirements."

"So let's get to it! I'm going to pick my teeth with his bones."

"Enough! All of you!" One of the others shouted. "We must approach this cautiously. Scientifically!"

"Just let me know when you have use of me," the smallest one sighed. "I don't care one way or the other."

"None of us do, stripling," the leader spoke. "With the Sorcerer Supreme away, we are free to operate undetected. We are now free to unleash the Heartless at any location, and we have the Keyblade to slay them for us. Its time to play our roles, my comrades. The city and its Light have their Hero…

"And now it will have their villains…"


End file.
